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Filthy Four Daily with Bryan Alvarez and Tom Lawlor is back with a special 90-minute interview with KURT ANGLE, taped at the Relentless Wrestling show in Spokane, Washington, over the weekend.
A really fun interview so check it out~!
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Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with tons to talk about including our weekend at Relentless Wrestling in Spokane, interviewing Kurt Angle and when you can hear it, all of the news, the Smackdown report, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Kurt Angle is grateful fans have stopped using the “Perc Angle” nickname.
The term was used by some fans to reference a period in Angle’s career when he was having great matches in TNA Wrestling while also battling drug addiction. Speaking with Chris Van Vliet last month, Angle said hearing the nickname reminded him of a dark time in his life.
He later addressed the topic on social media, writing:
“I’ve noticed the ‘Perc Angle’ nickname trending on social media. While I know it’s made in jest, it reminds me of a time when I struggled deeply with addiction and mental health challenges. Those memories are painful, but they also fuel my commitment to helping others. I’ve been clean for 12 years and have since built a life dedicated to purpose and service. Addiction destroys lives, but it’s never too late to get help. I appreciate all the positive feedback and support. To my fans: thank you for never giving up on me. I love you all.”
In an interview with Bro Bible released Tuesday, Angle said he was “pleasantly surprised” that fans have stopped using the term.
“I was really pleasantly surprised that they responded that way,” Angle said. “It makes me know that I have true fans out there that really enjoyed my career and loved me for what I did. I’m just grateful that they’re going to drop the name Perk Angle. It reminds me of a dark time in my life, and it’s something that I don’t want to have to deal with it anymore. I dealt with it already, and it’s behind me. Hearing Perc Angle just makes me think I’m known for that. It was not cool. I’m just glad that they’re now using Peak Angle, instead I’m very grateful for that.”
Angle was also a guest on Insight with Chris Van Vliet in January and spoke about the possibility of inducting John Cena into the WWE Hall of Fame. Angle said he would be honored to induct Cena but also noted there were plenty of others who could possibly fill the role as well.
“Well, I’ll tell you this, there are a lot of people that deserve to induct John,” Angle said. “Randy Orton, who was his biggest — I guess competition, or his nemesis. But Stephanie McMahon, don’t forget that she’s the one that discovered his rapping ability, and she was a big fan of his. She really supported him quite often. But, no, I’d be honored to induct John Cena. The one thing I want to say about him is he has shown that he is possibly the greatest WWE Superstar of all time.”
Angle shot down the idea of returning to the ring during the interview, noting that he threw his back out while filming a commercial recently.
“I couldn’t walk for a week after that. My wife was like, you’re never getting in that ring again. And she’s right,” he said.
Though he knows fans mean well, Kurt Angle has complicated feelings about a nickname his past self has been given on social media.
The nickname “Perc Angle” has been used by fans to define a point in Angle’s life where he was wrestling for TNA and having some of the best matches of his career despite struggling with drug addiction. Earlier this week, Angle was a guest on Insight with Chris Van Vliet and admitted that the nickname hurts his feelings — even though he knows fans mean it as a term of endearment. Angle said he’s okay with fans using the nickname but doesn’t want them to say it to his face.
On his X/Twitter account today, Angle sent out a post further explaining his thoughts. Angle said the nickname brings back painful memories, but those memories are what fuels his commitment to helping others who are struggling with similar problems.
“I’ve noticed the ‘Perc Angle’ nickname trending on social media. While I know it’s made in jest, it reminds me of a time when I struggled deeply with addiction and mental health challenges,” he wrote. “Those memories are painful, but they also fuel my commitment to helping others. I’ve been clean for 12 years and have since built a life dedicated to purpose and service. Addiction destroys lives, but it’s never too late to get help. I appreciate all the positive feedback and support. To my fans: thank you for never giving up on me. I love you all.”
Angle stressed during his Insight interview that he was never high during matches. He would take painkillers in the morning and at night after wrestling but knew he would not be able to have a good match if he was high. Angle said the painkillers became a problem for him when he was introduced to them after suffering his second broken neck in 2003.
The “Perc Angle” nickname is a reference to the painkiller percocet.
When John Cena joins the WWE Hall of Fame one day, Kurt Angle would be honored to induct him.
Angle was the guest on a new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet uploaded on Tuesday. The subject of Cena’s impending retirement came up during their conversation, and Van Vliet asked Angle about potentially inducting Cena into the WWE Hall of Fame. Angle said he would be honored to do it, but there are a lot of people who would be good choices.
“Well, I’ll tell you this, there are a lot of people that deserve to induct John,” Angle said. “Randy Orton, who was his biggest — I guess competition, or his nemesis. But Stephanie McMahon, don’t forget that she’s the one that discovered his rapping ability, and she was a big fan of his. She really supported him quite often. But, no, I’d be honored to induct John Cena. The one thing I want to say about him is he has shown that he is possibly the greatest WWE Superstar of all time. Winning 16 World Heavyweight titles in one company — Ric Flair won 16, but he won them in NWA and WCW and WWE, and you can’t take that away from him, they were all major promotions. But to do it all in one company, that makes you that company’s greatest star. And I really believe that he deserves another title before he retires.”
Cena is on a retirement tour that will conclude with him having his final match in December 2025. A WWE Hall of Fame induction is inevitable at some point, but it isn’t known when Cena will be going in. Angle was the headliner of the 2017 Hall of Fame class with Cena inducting him. The two have been linked together ever since Angle was the opponent for Cena’s first-ever televised WWE match in 2002.
While Angle would love to be the opponent for Cena’s retirement match, that will not be happening. Angle admits that he can’t wrestle anymore, and he recently hurt his back just bumping in the ring for an NFL commercial.
“No, I can’t wrestle anymore. Actually, you know what I did? I did wrestle about two months ago. I did a commercial for CBS,” Angle said. “And it was for the NFL pre-game for the [Baltimore] Ravens and [Pittsburgh] Steelers. So me and a gentleman named Kyle Brandt, he’s a sportscaster for CBS, he pretended he was the Ravens and I pretended I was the Steelers. We had a pro wrestling match and I was bumping.
“No, no, no [there’s no chance of Angle wrestling again]. Because what happened was, I threw my back out. And I couldn’t walk for a week after that. My wife was like, you’re never getting in that ring again. And she’s right. I shouldn’t have even got in the ring, but it was a lot of fun to do it. But I would love to wrestle John Cena. There’s nobody that wants to wrestle John more than I do for his retirement match, especially with the respect I have for him. I just can’t do it.”
A match between the two is not possible, but Angle would be open to appearing for a segment during Cena’s retirement tour.
“Yeah, that could be possible,” he told Van Vliet. “If they need me to do something like that, you know, that’s cool.”
The full podcast episode is available below:
Update —
Baron Corbin posted the following tweet reacting to Kurt Angle’s comments:
To be fair, that’s one of the reasons I wish I had become world champ! It would paid honor to what Kurt did for me. I will forever appreciate it and wish I could have done more to make it worth it for him. https://t.co/9OVJkUsHNm
— Tom (@TomPestock) November 13, 2024
**********
Now that Baron Corbin’s WWE career is over, Kurt Angle feels “a little disappointed” that the company didn’t do more with Corbin after WrestleMania 35.
Angle wrestled the final match of his career at that 2019 event, losing to Corbin on his way out. Angle thought that WWE would do more with Corbin and make him a top-tier guy, but they were never able to find an idea that really worked. Angle believes Corbin is underrated and could have thrived on his personality alone, not needing a more elaborate character.
“Baron, I think he’s underrated,” Angle told WrestleZone. “I think it kind of sucks that they — they started utilizing him the way they should have, you know, they had him beat me, which I was okay with. It was my last match, and obviously you’re going to lose with your last match when you retire. But Baron, after that, he ended up winning King of the Ring and then nothing else happened with him.
“It’s a little disappointing to know that he beat a legend at WrestleMania — the legend’s last match — and they didn’t really do much with him after that. For me, it makes me feel like I did that for nothing. So it’s not like, ‘Screw you Angle.’ But it kind of is [laughs], because I thought they were going to run with the kid. I thought they were going to make him one of the top-tier guys. And he was on his way. And I do believe they changed his character a couple times, I think he was Happy Corbin or something like that and then something else. But I don’t know if they just found anything that really stuck. And maybe that’s why they let him go, because they couldn’t find a character. But Baron has a great personality. He didn’t need a character. He could be him and he was entertaining as it is. So I was just a little disappointed that they didn’t do much with him and then they let him go.”
The 40-year-old Corbin departed WWE on November 1 when the company chose not to renew his contract. He was with WWE for more than a decade after starting out in developmental in 2012.
Before his departure, Corbin returned to NXT for a stint in 2023-2024 but did not do much on the main roster when he was brought back to SmackDown.
Though he’s widely regarded as one of the best professional wrestlers to ever live, Kurt Angle believes a portion of his career goes under-appreciated.
While speaking with WrestleZone, Angle was asked if there’s something from his career that he feels deserves to be talked about more. Angle pointed to his time in TNA Wrestling from 2006-2016, saying he feels his TNA run was better than the work he did in WWE.
“I always get, ‘You know, Kurt Angle would have been the best of all time if he would have stuck in the WWE and wrestled there for 20 years.’ That may be true, but what’s the difference? I wrestled in TNA for 11 of my 20 years, and I think that should be added on. I had a better career in TNA. I was wrestling guys like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe and Sting. And I had a lot better career in TNA because I came into my own. You know, when you’re a professional wrestler it takes you about six, seven years to really master your craft. And that’s when I left WWE, after six years. And I went to TNA and I was a man on a mission there. And I just did incredibly well there,” Angle said.
“I don’t get enough accolades for it, you know? I mean, I know that a lot of people consider me one of the best of all times now regardless of my TNA career. But that career gets a little bit stifled. That really bothers me a little bit because, you know, I was really that good. I mean, I had an incredible career. Don’t get me wrong, the WWE career was great too. Now me coming back to the WWE in 2017, I don’t even count that. Because by then I lost a step, I wasn’t the same person. The reason why I retired early is because I looked at myself on television and I was like, ‘Wow, this looks like an old man wrestling.’ And I didn’t like what I saw.”
Angle left WWE for TNA in 2006 amid a battle with addiction and health issues. He returned to WWE in 2017 as a wrestler and authority figure along with being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
In TNA, Angle was a six-time World Champion and helped the promotion do some of the best pay-per-view numbers in its history. He joined the TNA Hall of Fame in 2013.
Kurt Angle feels he “wasn’t so much appreciated” by WWE during his second run with the company.
After leaving WWE for TNA Wrestling in 2006 amid a battle with addiction, Angle went more than a decade without competing in a WWE ring. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017 and returned to the promotion as an authority figure and wrestler.
Angle’s in-ring career ended when he lost to Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35 in 2019. While appearing on a new episode of Notsam Wrestling, Angle explained that he wanted John Cena to be the opponent for his retirement match, but Vince McMahon told him he would have to wait another year for that to happen. Angle feels that — because of the way he left the first time — WWE was trying to teach him a lesson when he came back.
“I wanted John [Cena] to be my retirement match, I don’t know if you knew that, but I requested that to Vince,” Angle told Sam Roberts. “He said, ‘You’re going to have to wait until next year because you have a program with Baron Corbin.’ So I was like, ‘Ok, but I don’t think I can go another year, Vince.’ He said, ‘Well, then, it is what it is.’
“I love Baron Corbin, but I just felt that my second time in WWE — I wasn’t so much appreciated. I think it has a lot to do with me leaving the company high and dry in 2006 and going straight to TNA. See, I was supposed to go back to WWE in six months. Vince wanted me to take six months off and come back. So, literally when I left his office and I quit, I called [TNA] and got a contract that day. I didn’t wait a second. I knew what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. And I think they were like, ‘Ok, well, if he comes back, we’re going to teach him a little lesson.’ You know? [laughs] Which is fine, I understood.”
Angle said he loved his TNA run and feels like he was doing the best in-ring wrestling of his career there with matches against opponents like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe.
Now 55 years old, Angle has no plans to return to active competition. He told Notsam Wrestling that — as much as he would love to face Cena during Cena’s retirement tour — it’s not something that he could physically do.
“Listen, I’m sure if I made a call I could make it happen, but there’s no way I can [physically] do it,” Angle said. “Unfortunately. But I would have loved to be one of John Cena’s retirement matches. I mean, I’m the one that had his first match.”
An Olympic gold medalist, Angle is currently an ambassador for USA Wrestling and remains associated with WWE.
Kurt Angle believes Roman Reigns has earned “every bit” of his WWE success.
During a recent virtual signing with K&S WrestleFest, Angle named Reigns as someone from today’s WWE roster who he would have liked to face during his in-ring career. Angle believes Reigns was initially pushed “a little too early” in WWE, but he’s overcome that and is one of the best wrestlers in the world.
“I’m not going to lie to you, the kid’s been on fire,” Angle said about Reigns. “I will say this: he earned every bit that he’s gotten. I do believe the company pushed him a little too early and the fans didn’t want to accept that, but he’s followed through. And he’s proven that he is one of the best in the world right now.”
Following a beatdown by The Bloodline in August, Reigns returned to WWE programming on last Friday’s SmackDown and is set to team with Cody Rhodes against Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu at Bad Blood on Saturday, October 5.
Reigns was WWE’s top champion for 1,316 days before losing to Rhodes at WrestleMania 40.
Angle and Reigns never faced each other while Angle was an active competitor. The 55-year-old WWE Hall of Famer told K&S WrestleFest that he’d be open to being a manager in WWE if the money was right. He could get physically involved here and there as a manager, but Angle is never going to wrestle again.
Kurt Angle is set to appear on a GCW show.
GCW has announced in a social media post that Angle has been booked for their Saturday, November 23 Dream On event.
The promotion posted:
*AMERICAN DREAM UPDATE* GCW comes to The American Dream Mall on Saturday, November 23rd! Just Signed: WWE Hall of Famer KURT ANGLE comes to GCW for the first time on 11/23 at #GCWDream! Tickets go On Sale this Friday at 10AM: http://GCWDream.Eventbrite.com Watch LIVE on @FiteTV+!
Angle joins Ricky Morton, Matt Cardona, Mance Warner, Masha Slamovich, Effy, Gringo Loco, Sonny Kiss, and Effy among the talent announced for the November 23 event.
Angle is not expected or advertised to wrestle for the event. The WWE Hall of Famer and Olympic gold medalist has abided by the retirement stipulation attached to his “farewell match” at WrestleMania 35 in 2019 and has not wrestled since.
In January of this year, Angle revealed that he was still under contract to WWE. It is unclear whether or not that is still the case given the GCW booking.
Image: TNA Wrestling
I have a great DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show for you this week starting off with a fun entry into the Greatest Kayfabe Tournament where you, the listener, voted between Sting and Kurt Angle.
Then, we go back to 1931 at Madison Square Garden where Dick Shikat upset the order of things by shooting on people.
The show rounds out with a look at December 1984 in Southeastern Championship Wrestling where a small crew are doing memorable things. Lord Humongous is in town, Arn Anderson is on his way out, Jerry Stubbs is Mr. Olympia again, and Pat & Randy Rose are the top tag team.
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I return to my roots on this edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show by discussing 1980s Southeastern and Continental Wrestling. What made it so great? What are some of the myths about it? What did Ron Fuller get wrong recently on his podcast?
Plus, the Greatest Kayfabe Tournament continues with discussion of Kurt Angle vs. Rikidozan, plus a look at the final eight.
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Kenny Omega and Kurt Angle hold a mutual respect for one another.
During a Twitch stream on Friday night, Omega named Angle as his favorite wrestler ever and the most complete wrestler of all time. Omega praised Angle for both his in-ring work and not being afraid to do silly things as a character on television:
Kenny Omega says that @RealKurtAngle is his favorite wrestler, his go to guy to study, and the most complete wrestler of all time.
Kenny also said that Kurt Angle vs Rey Mysterio from SummerSlam 2002 is one of the best opening matches ever. pic.twitter.com/LbnIhD3mLM
— AIR (@AIRGold_) March 23, 2024
I do think that Kurt Angle is the greatest – I can’t even say just in-ring, for me he’s the most complete wrestler of all time. He’s my favorite. He’s my go-to guy to study, for me being an athletic guy that wants to be able to mesh well and complement every wrestling style. But also not – I’m also, of course, anyone who’s familiar with me here in chat, I’m not afraid to embarrass myself or do silly things. And that’s what I loved a lot about what Kurt did on TV.
On Saturday, Angle responded to Omega’s praise:
Much respect Kenny. Hope to meet you one day!! #itstrue https://t.co/BQHlc7P6do
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) March 23, 2024
Omega and Angle have both praised each other in the past as well, including Angle saying that Omega was a dream opponent of his. Angle retired from in-ring competition in 2019.
Omega reviewed Angle vs. Rey Mysterio from SummerSlam 2002 on his Twitch stream. Omega said he believes Mysterio is the greatest luchador of all time.
The 40-year-old Omega has been out of action since December 2023 due to diverticulitis. Dave Meltzer reported in the new edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that a decision still hasn’t been made on whether Omega will undergo surgery.
“If he has that surgery, it’ll be a couple of months after the surgery before he’d be able to return,” Meltzer wrote.
The latest version of the most important week in TNA history is over. When the dust settled, it’s a weird evaluation, but overall it can best be described as a mixed bag.
While no official confirmation is in, based on our response, the Genesis PPV on 11/19 from Orlando, featuring the Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe match as the biggest in company history, appears to be either the single most successful, or at worst, at the level of the most successful PPV events in company history. The numbers appear strong even with the Dish Network not airing the show. The Dish Network has a also pulled out of airing future TNA shows over what Network officials have called a contract dispute.
On 11/16, a two hour airing from 9-11 p.m., the prime time debut, built around Angle’s first televised match against Abyss, drew a 1.02 rating and 1.2 million viewers. The viewership was up 20% from the 1.0 million viewers the show has been averaging in recent weeks. But even with more hype and a better time slot, it was nowhere close to the 1.4 million record levels set earlier this year when it got the Shamrock-Ortiz Ultimate Fighter season as a lead-in.
Subscribers can read this issue here.
Every time you see Rey Mysterio in a WWE ring, it is the living embodiment of how Antonio Pena changed pro wrestling all over the world.
When Pena, the long-time booker of the EMLL (now CMLL) promotion, left to form AAA in 1992, the idea was to build around a mix of established stars, and to create new stars. Oscar Gutierrez, then 17, and only 5-1 and maybe 120 pounds, was one of the first people he waved his magic wand on.
Gutierrez, a high school student in Chula Vista, CA, had wrestled for a few years on the Tijuana circuit as the high-flying Colibri. Most veteran wrestlers scoffed at him as too small to have credibility, and his matches were based on doing far too many flying moves and not enough basic wrestling. In truth, it was Konnan, who wrestled in Tijuana and was already good friends with him, since both were trained at the same time by Miguel Lopez, Gutierrez’s uncle, who was the original Rey Misterio,(Psicosis and Halloween were also part of that class), who recommended him. But it was Pena who pulled the trigger. At first the idea was to use him as a mini, a new division that was also a Pena creation.
Subscribers can read this issue here.
